Tie plate and rail fastener



April 23, 1929. J. A. MCGREW TIE PLATE AND RAIL'FASTENER Filed 0G12. ll 1928 gnvmoz f/k M W Mm W Muay Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

JOHN A. MCGREW, 0F ALBANY,` NEW YORK.

'rm rLA'rE AND anni rAs'rENEa.

Application led, October 1, 1928. Serial No. 309,481.

This invention relates to rail fasteners,

and vmore particularly late and rail fastener adapted rail to the tie plate solely spring connecting means to a combined t1e to hold the by the action of against lateral,

longitudinal and vertical movements..

It is a general object of the p resent mvention to provide a novel and improved tie late and rail fastener.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a tie plate and rail fastener comprising simple 'stru adapted position, solely by the use of a to be assembled to secure a rail ctural parts hammer.

One of the features of the invention comprises a tie plate provided with ribs thereon extending parallel to the rail base and spaced therefrom laterally, and act both as fulcrums and cantilever spring members ends bear on the rail base and the tie plate.

Another feature prises the arrangement of abutments whose opposite adapted to for secure 1t to of the invention Vcomribs on a tie plate having slots therethrough adapted to receive spring members,

the slots being so directed that the inner edges of the spring members .engage the upwardly sloping rail base, so that driving the spring members through the slots causes their inner ends to be lifted and the whole spring member canted to engage the walls of the slot top and bottom to cause the engaging edge to bear tightly on the rail and clamp it to the tie plate.

Other and further of the invention will be more those skilled in the art upon a consideration p of the accompanying drawing mg speclfication, wherein 1s features and objects apparent to and followdisclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, such changes may with the understanding, however, that be made therein as fal wit-hin the scope ofthe appended claims without departing from invention.

In said drawing:

the spiritv of the Figure 1 1s a plan view of the tie plate and rail fastener constructed accordingto the present invention and shown as applied to a section of conventional railroad rail;

and

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof1 section and fastener 1n to a device in i ened, particularly `ing means such as spikes or for securing a railroad rail to a tie. Any conventional form of tie may be used, and the device provides a suitable tie plate such as is customary `in high grade track construction to distribute the bearing stresses ofthe rail over a larger area of the tie. It likewise provides means for attachinv the rail to the tie` plate independent of the means for securing the tie plate -to the tie, so that it is not necessary to remove the fasteners in the tie when changes in gauge or similar adjustments are made, and therefore the life of the tie is materially lengthwhere it is formedf of wood, because the tie fibers are not broken or crushed by driving fastening members in new positions.

Referring to the drawing, a section of conventional rail is shown at 10 having the base 11 provided with an loutwardly and downwardly sloping surface 12 at each side of the center thereof. `The rail is 'adapted to restY on a tie plate 13 composed of a rectangle of suitable metal preferably rolled to the form shown. Its central portion is thicker an'd provides on its upper surface a face 14 to receive the bottom of the rail base. The thinner end s 15 are erforated as at 16 for the passage of suita le fastenlag bolts. Formed integral with the tie plate and extendingI longitudinally of the rail, are the ribs 17, one on each side of and somewhat spaced from the base of the rail, as shown, so that the rail is free to be adjusted latof the tie plate without moving this These -ribs project upwardly and are slightly inclined toward each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Each rib is rovided at thecenter of its length wit a transverse slot or passage 18, the walls of erally late.

1 which are substantially normal to the surface of the rib which they intersect. In general it may be said that the bottoni wall of this slot is about the same height from the surface 14 as is the lowest portion of the upper surface of the rail base, i. e. at 19.

Cooperating with each rib and passing through the slot therein is a keys/or spring plate 20, generall of rectangular formation, as shown in ig. 1, and of a uniform thickness somewhat less than the height of the slot 18. The plate is likewise narrower than the total length of the slot, so that it may be freely passed through the slot. The

inner edge 21 of the spring plate is preferably rounded as shown while the outer edge may be left square. Due to the inclination of the rib and therefore of the slot, when a spring plate is passed through the slot 'it is forced to take a downward inclination toward the rail, Vso that its inner edge 21 engages the sloping surface of the rail base as at 22 in Fig. 2. Continued movement of the spring plate toward the web of7 the rail causes this edge 21 to rise along the inclined surface of the rail base until the upper surface 23 of the spring plate engages against the edge 24 of the slot, and the bottom wall 25 of the spring plate engages against the edge 26 of the slot. This edge 24 being at the inner face of the rib and atthe upper surface of the slot forms a fulcrum between the bearing line 22 on the rail base and the abutment or support 26 at the junction of the outer face of the rib and the bottom wall of the groove. Thus, the spring plate or key acts as a cantilever supported in the rib and carrying as a load its pressure on the rail base.0 This load may be increased by driving the key inwardly so that its edge 2l rises more on the rail base and causes the whole plate to flex about the fulcrum 24. The plate is made from highly tempered spring steel so that :it will not receive a permanent set due to this flexing, and thus always has a reserve resiliency to rail base which retains it against the tie plate and secures it against movement.

Lateral adjustment of the rail for the purpose of gauging the track can be aeeomplished by driving one key further than the k other or by setting the rail in thel desired position and driving both keys together. It may likewise be accomplished by temporarily blocking the rail from the inner faces of the ribs in the desired position and then driving up the keys.

It will be noted that when the keys are driven up tight so as to apply a continual spring pressure on the rail base, that the fulcrum edge 24 has a tendency to bite into the key in the manner of the conventional slit lock washer which effectually preventsA the ke) from slipping out of position in addition, of course, to the locking action resulting from it being canted in the slot. Thus vibrations and pounding resulting from the passage of wheels over the rail will not impair theholding action of the fastening means.

The form of tie plate shown is extremely simple to make, so that quantity production' is materially simplified. It can be rolled in the customary manner and cut into convenient lengths, which are then slotted.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: i 1

1. In,Y a rail fastener, in combination, a tie provide a pressure on the edges free, a spring key plate, an integral rib extending above said tie plate and longitudinally of the rail base thereon, a slot through said rib transverse to said base and a spring key driven through said slot and bearing only on said base and in said rib to retain the rail in position on said tie plate.

2. In a rail fastener, in combination, a tie plate adapted to receive a rail base, a rib on each side of said base, parallel thereto and integral with said tie plate, a slot in each rib extending lengthwise thereof and sloping downwardly toward said base, a key of spring material thinner than the width of said slot, passing through each slot and having an edge resting on the sloping rail base whereby movement of the key toward the rail elevates the end on the base and binds the key in the slot.

3. In a 'rail fastener, in combination, a tie plate adapted to receive a rail base thereon, a -rib on each side of said base spaced therefrom, a pair of spring keys each having an edge resting on the sloping upper surface of said base7 means on each rib forming a fulerum for its key and means on each rib forming an abutment for its key whereby driving said key toward the rail web raises the edge thereof on said base and ilexes the key about said fulcrum.

4. In a rail fastener, in combination, a tie plate adapted to receive a rail base, a spring key adapted to be driven laterally of said rail over the base thereof and means on said tie plate having an opening the edges of which form a cantilever support for said 5. In a rail fastener, in combination, a tie plate adapted to receive a rail base, a pair of spring keys adapted of said rail over the base thereof and means on said tie plate having openings the edges of which form cantilever supports for each key, said means permitting movement of said keys laterally of the rail to tighten their grip on said base.

6. In a rail fastener,

in combination, a tie plate,

a rail base on said plate having its for each side of said base, means restraining each key from rotation away from said base, said means permitting movement of said keys over said base to engage the sloping surface thereof to clamp the base to the tie plate, said means having a portion to bite into said keys to prevent slipping. l

In a rail fastener, .in combination, a tie plate adapted to be secured to a tie, a rail base receiving surface on said plate, a rib extending parallel to the rail base, integral with the tie plate and inclined toward the rail, a slot through said rib normal to the face thereof and parallel to the tie plate and a spring plate thinner-.than the width of said slot passing therethrough 'and having an edge engaging the sloping surface of engagement with each rib and means on each the rail base. spring plate to engage over the sloping sur- 10 8. .In a rail fastener, in combination,` a face of said rail base and clamp said base to tie plate adapted to be secured to a tie, a said tie plate. 5 rail base receiving surface on said late In testimony whereof I hereunto ax my wider than the rail base, a rib on sai tie signature. plate on each side of the rail base and lpaced l l l therefrom, a spring plate vin lateral iding JOHNA. MCGREW. 

